ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the association between some factors in maternal pregnancy and childhood asthma with an onset before 3 years of age, and to provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma and further research on its pathogenesis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective clinical epidemiological study was carried out in 100 children with asthma (age of onset<3 years) and 100 children without allergic disease who were randomly selected as controls. The related information of children and mothers was investigated by questionnaire survey, including general information, medical history, personal and family allergic history, perinatal data, and mothers' health and lifestyle during their pregnancy such as diet, disease, and environmental exposure. The main survey indices were preliminarily analyzed, selected, and assigned, and then the data were subjected to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the fetal sex, history of atopic disease before pregnancy, history of respiratory infection in pregnancy, and the intake of fish, shrimp, crab, meat and spicy food in pregnancy were significantly associated with childhood asthma with an onset before 3 years of age, with odds ratios of 2.868, 5.051, 4.640, 3.746, 2.971, 3.075, and 2.225, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Many factors in maternal pregnancy are associated with childhood asthma with an onset before 3 years of age, and the risk of which can be reduced by the prevention of respiratory infection and appropriate diet in pregnancy.</p>